The doll is being created following the huge box-office success of the dystopian science-fiction film, which debuted with the third highest opening of all time – $155m – in the US at the weekend. It will be available from the barbiecollector.com site and other outlets as a custom-made doll "created specifically for the adult collector", Mattel said.

In the cease and desist letter, Lionsgate pointed out that it had formed its own partnerships with the UN's World Food Programme and Feeding America. "We understand and support your cause and mission," wrote Liat Cohen, Lionsgate's senior VP business affairs and litigation. "We are on the same side. We are looking for an amicable resolution."

Mattel's Katniss Barbie joins other collectible dolls, including models based on the supernatural stars of the Twilight series and the dapper employees of Mad Men's Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, on the manufacturer's website.

Jennifer Lawrence plays Everdeen in the film, which hit cinemas in the UK and the US on Friday.